Rail-joint.



J. L. COOPER. RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED mm: 23, 1914.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO-, FHOTO-LITHO., WA'SHINGIUN. D- C.

. J. COOPER.

RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1914.

Patented Feb.9,'1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET V I ammo? m M O J Ofi/IZ/L, Chapel 66 met. I 224% W JOHNL. COOPER, OF OAKDALE, TENNESSEE.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. a, rare.

Application filed June 23, 1914. Serial No. 846,881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN L. CoorER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Oakdale, in the county of Morgan andState of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for bracing and connecting rails,and the primary object of the invention is to construct a device of thischaracter which shall be simple, comparatively cheap to manufacture andwhich will effectively brace and join rails to prevent the lateralmovement or the creeping of the rails.

With the above and other objects in view, the improvement resides in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in thefollowing specification and falling within the scope of the appendedclaim.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating two railsconnected in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same, Fig. 3 is a sectional view approximately on theline 33 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the detachableside or wedge member, Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating the deviceemployed as a rail brace, Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same, Fig. 7is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6,and Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the removable wedge member.

Referring now to the drawings and to Figs. 1 to 4 in particular, RRdesignate two alining rails having abutting ends. The rails rest uponthe base 1 of a chair 2, and the said chair has one of its edges formedwith an inturned flange 2 which overlies the base flanges of the railsat one side of the rails, while integrally formed with the flange 2 is avertically projecting longitudinally extending plate 3 which engages inthe fishing spaces of the rails and which is of a materially greaterthickness than the flange 2. The base 1 is also of a greater thicknessthan the flange 2, so that the said flange provides what may be termed aspring connection between the base 1 and the vertical plate 3. Theopposite longitudinal edge of the base 1 is provided with an inwardlycurved lip 1 which is of a length corresponding with the length of thechair and which has its upper face 5 parallel with the straightlongitudinally extending plate 3, but which has its inner and roundedface 6 beveled 0r inclined from one end of the chair to the opposite endthereof, so as to provide a wedge-shaped groove.

The numeral 7 designates the removable side for the chair. angle member,the vertical portion of which being shaped to be snugly received withinthe fishing spaces of the rails, and the horizontal portion 8 thereofhaving its underside extending downward and resting upon thehorizontally straight upper face of the base 1, while the outer lowercorner 10 of the member 7 is rounded, and inclined from one end of thesaid member 7 to the oppo- This side comprises an,

site end thereof, thus providing the base of the member 7 with awedge-shaped formation so that the same will be received by the lip andthe rounded portion thereof engage with the inclined rounded inner faceor channel 6 provided by the lip 4:. The vertical member of the side orfish plate 7 is provided with bolt openings which register with openingsin the plate 3 of the chair proper, securing elements in the nature ofbolts 10 passing through the alining openings and said bolts beingsecured by nuts 11. The openings in the fish plate 7 are elongated, sothat when the nuts 11 are loosened the wedge-shaped side or fish plate 7may be adjusted longitudinally of the chair and of the rails and whenproperly engaging with the chair and with the rails the nuts 11 will bescrewed tight upon the bolts 10. It is to be understood that the headsof the bolts 10 are of a sufficient size to contact with the outer faceof the vertical portion of the fish plate 7, permitting the shanks to besnugly received within the elongated openings in. the said member 7. Thechair, adjacent its opposite ends, is pro vided upon its longitudinalsides with flat lateral extensions 12, which are arranged in oppositepairs and spaced a suitable distance from each other so that each of thepairs will be received upon a tie 13. Gentrally formed with the flatextensions 12 are ribs 14 and 15 respectively, the ribs 1 1 being alsointegrally formed with the flange 2 and the plate 3, and the ribs 15being integrally formed with and bracing the Formed with the base 1 ofthe chair between and adjacent to the ledges 12 and de pending from thesaid base are laterally extending plates 16 which are adapted to abutwith the inner or adjacent faces of the ties 13, while connecting thesaid plates 16 is a centrally formed web 17 which is also integrallyformed with the base 1. The plates 16 contacting with the ties 13provide means for effectively preventing the creeping or longitudinalmovement of the joint, while the bolts connecting the rails effectivelyprevent the creeping of the rails upon the chair. The extensions 12 areformed with suitable spaced openings 18 receiving spikes 19 which enterthe ties 13 and effectively hold the chair upon the tie.

In the remaining figures of the drawings I have illustrated my device asin the nature of a rail brace, and in these figures the numeral 20designates the base of the chair member, the said chair being providedadjacent one of its longitudinal edges with an overlying flange 21 whichterminates in a vertical plate 22, the flange 21 contacting with thebase flange of the rail 23, while the plate 22 is received within thefishing space of the rail. The portion of the base pr0- jectingoutwardly from the flange 21 has centrally formed thereon adjacent itsedges angular ribs 2% which are integrally formed with the flange 21 andwith the plate 22, while the said extending portion opposite the rib isprovided with spike openings which receive the spikes 25 that secure thebase of the chair to the tie 25. The base 20 adjacent its opposite endis provided with an upturned inwardly extending hook 26 which has itsinner and rounded wall 27 inclined from one of its ends to its oppositeend to receive the wedge-shaped rounded edge 28 provided upon the base29 of an angular side member or fish plate 30. The plate 30 has itsvertical member provided with an elongated opening 31 which is engagedby the head of a bolt 32 which passes through registering openings inthe web of the rail and in the vertical plate 22 of the chair, a nut 33securing the bolt to the device, and 'the nut 33 is arranged between thereinforcing ribs 2 1:. The hook 26 is centrally reinforced by a rib 34which is arranged ang'ularly from the portion of the base 20 whichextends outwardly of the hook and the said extending portion is providedwith openings for the reception of spikes 35 which also enter the tie25. The elongated opening in the fish plate permits of the properadjustment of the fish plate upon the chair proper and against the rail,while the bolt passing through the opening in the web of the rail 23 andthe round openings in the plate 22 serves as a means for preventing thecreeping of the rail upon the chair. 7

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the simplicity of the device, as well as the advantagesthereof will, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled inthe art to which such invention appertains without further detaileddescription.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

In combination with railway rails, of a chair upon which the rails rest,said chair including a side which engages with one side of the rails,the said chair opposite the side being formed with an inwardly extendinghook, the inner rounded wall of which being inclined from one end of thechair to the opposite end thereof, an angle plate having a roundedinclined corner which is engaged by the hook, the said angle platehaving its vertical member provided with longitudinal elongatedopenings, headed bolts passing through the openings and through roundopenings in the webs of the rail and the vertical member of the side ofthe chair, and nuts for the bolts, the said chair having its baseextended beyond its side and hook and provided with openings, ties uponwhich the chair rests disposed below the openings, spikes entering theopenings and into the ties, transverse plates upon the base of the chairand contacting with the opposite inner faces of the tics, and a webformed with the base and centrally connecting the plates.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DR. JOHN L. oooPnR. I'Vitnesses M. J. IVALKER,

THOMAS L. PHILLIPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

